Michelle Obama : Michelle: Register to Vote
Michelle: Register to Vote
“Voter registration” is a pretty dry phrase, and it may seem like a small thing. Fill out a form, mail it in, and you’re done. Nothing to get excited about.
But registering to vote means the difference between helping to change the world or letting the opportunity pass you by. It’s the difference between having a voice or watching silently as others make decisions that affect your life and your future.
In other words, it’s incredibly important. And, while you may think you don’t have to worry about voting until November 4th, in many states, voter deadlines are coming up very soon. So in these final weeks before deadlines hit across the country, our campaign is focused on getting folks registered and ready to make their voices heard now. And we’re launching a new tool to make it easy to register too, which I hope you’ll check out.
Our campaign has set up a website: www.VoteforChange.com. Go there now to check if you’re already registered to vote. If you’re not, www.VoteforChange.com will help you register, or arrange an absentee ballot or figure out where to go on Election Day.
Here’s where you come in. No matter who you’re supporting in this election, check out the site, register to vote, and tell your friends about the site too. Right now, hundreds of thousands of young people across the country aren’t registered to vote. And registration deadlines are coming up in many states. So if you’re reading this, young unregistered folks, heads up! If you don’t act soon, you’ll miss your chance to have a say in this historic election.
Today, I’m in Madison, Wisconsin, and talking with reporters from college newspapers all over the country to encourage them to report back to their schools about the importance of voter registration on their campuses. I’m going to share with them the points that I think every young person should consider in the final weeks of the campaign.
Young people have been profoundly affected by the consequences of the past eight years. The war in Iraq has, in many ways, been fought by your peers. Of all the soldiers who have been wounded or killed in Iraq, their average age is just 21.
The economy has also taken its toll. Today, the average college graduate has almost $22,000 in student loans. We’re dealing with record unemployment rates, and the bad news on the economy just keeps increasing… so it’s harder and harder for recent graduates to find jobs that pay a good wage.
And then there are all the long-term challenges that the next generation (and their children’s generation) will face, unless we get ahead of them now. Challenges like developing renewable sources of energy, and rebuilding our schools, restoring the middle class, and making health care available to all Americans. If we don’t make progress on these issues soon, they’ll only get worse—and it’s the young people in this country who will shoulder the burden.
The next president will also have great influence over global crises. Whoever we elect in November will have an enormous opportunity to influence the future of places like Darfur and Iraq… places torn apart by violence, where American leadership could mean the difference between a future of war or peace.
And the next president will have the power to take us to the next level in the fight against global warming. The world has waited for years for America to lead on this issue. But we’ve delayed action… and our planet and neighbors around the world have suffered the consequences. The next president can lead us in a different direction.
There are serious stakes in this election. We all need to make our voices heard – and we especially need you.
As you might have guessed, I’ve already made my choice for President. But no matter who you vote for on November 4th, make sure you vote. And then tell your friends, classmates, and families to register as well. Visit the Website VoteforChange.com and show them how easy it is.
For the past 19 months, Barack and I have traveled to every corner of this country. We have been so encouraged by the young people we’ve met… the bright, curious, creative, and passionate young men and women who have an enormous capacity for hard work and a deep belief that a better world is possible.
We would never have come as far as we have in this campaign without students and young voters. You made this campaign a true movement for change.
Now, let’s all vote on Election Day… and bring the change we need to the country we love.
But registering to vote means the difference between helping to change the world or letting the opportunity pass you by. It’s the difference between having a voice or watching silently as others make decisions that affect your life and your future.
In other words, it’s incredibly important. And, while you may think you don’t have to worry about voting until November 4th, in many states, voter deadlines are coming up very soon. So in these final weeks before deadlines hit across the country, our campaign is focused on getting folks registered and ready to make their voices heard now. And we’re launching a new tool to make it easy to register too, which I hope you’ll check out.
Our campaign has set up a website: www.VoteforChange.com. Go there now to check if you’re already registered to vote. If you’re not, www.VoteforChange.com will help you register, or arrange an absentee ballot or figure out where to go on Election Day.
Here’s where you come in. No matter who you’re supporting in this election, check out the site, register to vote, and tell your friends about the site too. Right now, hundreds of thousands of young people across the country aren’t registered to vote. And registration deadlines are coming up in many states. So if you’re reading this, young unregistered folks, heads up! If you don’t act soon, you’ll miss your chance to have a say in this historic election.
Today, I’m in Madison, Wisconsin, and talking with reporters from college newspapers all over the country to encourage them to report back to their schools about the importance of voter registration on their campuses. I’m going to share with them the points that I think every young person should consider in the final weeks of the campaign.
Young people have been profoundly affected by the consequences of the past eight years. The war in Iraq has, in many ways, been fought by your peers. Of all the soldiers who have been wounded or killed in Iraq, their average age is just 21.
The economy has also taken its toll. Today, the average college graduate has almost $22,000 in student loans. We’re dealing with record unemployment rates, and the bad news on the economy just keeps increasing… so it’s harder and harder for recent graduates to find jobs that pay a good wage.
And then there are all the long-term challenges that the next generation (and their children’s generation) will face, unless we get ahead of them now. Challenges like developing renewable sources of energy, and rebuilding our schools, restoring the middle class, and making health care available to all Americans. If we don’t make progress on these issues soon, they’ll only get worse—and it’s the young people in this country who will shoulder the burden.
The next president will also have great influence over global crises. Whoever we elect in November will have an enormous opportunity to influence the future of places like Darfur and Iraq… places torn apart by violence, where American leadership could mean the difference between a future of war or peace.
And the next president will have the power to take us to the next level in the fight against global warming. The world has waited for years for America to lead on this issue. But we’ve delayed action… and our planet and neighbors around the world have suffered the consequences. The next president can lead us in a different direction.
There are serious stakes in this election. We all need to make our voices heard – and we especially need you.
As you might have guessed, I’ve already made my choice for President. But no matter who you vote for on November 4th, make sure you vote. And then tell your friends, classmates, and families to register as well. Visit the Website VoteforChange.com and show them how easy it is.
For the past 19 months, Barack and I have traveled to every corner of this country. We have been so encouraged by the young people we’ve met… the bright, curious, creative, and passionate young men and women who have an enormous capacity for hard work and a deep belief that a better world is possible.
We would never have come as far as we have in this campaign without students and young voters. You made this campaign a true movement for change.
Now, let’s all vote on Election Day… and bring the change we need to the country we love.